Home made or custom made tents

[Crossup]

Wondering if anyone knows if one can buy the materials to build a given tent for no more than the cost of a manufactured one- of all the tents out there none have all the design features I think should be no brainers. Instead it seems everyone gets a few things right, maybe has a real innovation only to totally drop the ball in some other area.
I have no illusions that one can build a tent competitive in price if labor and the cost of a sewing machine are any part of the equation but if you're willing to consider those as write offs maybe DIY can be justified to get the perfect tent.
In the same vein, are there any cottage industry people who will build a tent to a design/specs?

My basic idea for a tent it to use the general layout of the Sierra Design Divine Light FL1 but do the top in an arch, extend the fly sides so rain protection is not dependant on the body at the foot area. As an alternative perhaps just modify the store bought with some zip on pieces.

[MuddyWaters]

John at Bearpaw wilderness Designs still does custom work i believe. You may or may not be satisfied with the quality of the work look at pictures of others carefully and see what you think.

[Maineiac64]

http://www.zpacks.com/materials.shtml

sounds like a fun project. good luck. let us know how you make out.

[Crossup]

Thanks for that, I had no idea one could buy Zpack pack components- thats the only way I'd consider doing a homebrew pack

At this point I'm just considering options and have no firm plan to build a tent, that said I've always wanted a sewing machine and being retired now might be the time. In fact the only thing really keeping me from jumping right is already having too many interests and hobbies that have large investments. Everyone told me retirement would be boring and time would weight heavily, but the opposite is the case- I'm busier than ever with too little time. Worse my pursuit of bicycle camping has spawned an interest and motivation to do LD hiking now that I spent a week on the AT recently. Fortunately since I'm trying bicycle backpacking instead of bike packing, the gear is applicable to hiking and biking, so theres that to consider.

http://www.zpacks.com/materials.shtml

sounds like a fun project. good luck. let us know how you make out.

[VT-Mike]

I made my own tent with kit from Quest Outfitters. I posted here years ago. It's not perfect but I have happily spent many nights in it. Plus it was a fun project while it was too sloppy to be on the trails.

[wisscy]

Look at dutchware gear and ripstopbytheroll, I make hammock stuff with theirs so not sure how their tent specific stuff is but the majority is the same.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[Slo-go'en]

A lot of church thrift stores have sewing machines for cheap. They get plenty of them donated from estates. Or ask around. Someone you know or someone they know will have a machine you can have.

You don't save money by doing it yourself. There is a learning curve so your first one isn't going to come out all that good. Besides the mechanics of just sewing it together, there's the figuring out a design, the making of patterns and cutting the material. Maybe by the 4th or 5th one, you'll have it all figured out and finally get what you want.

But it's not about saving money, it's about learning a new skill and making something for yourself.

[Just Bill]

Wondering if anyone knows if one can buy the materials to build a given tent for no more than the cost of a manufactured one- of all the tents out there none have all the design features I think should be no brainers. Instead it seems everyone gets a few things right, maybe has a real innovation only to totally drop the ball in some other area.
I have no illusions that one can build a tent competitive in price if labor and the cost of a sewing machine are any part of the equation but if you're willing to consider those as write offs maybe DIY can be justified to get the perfect tent.
In the same vein, are there any cottage industry people who will build a tent to a design/specs?

My basic idea for a tent it to use the general layout of the Sierra Design Divine Light FL1 but do the top in an arch, extend the fly sides so rain protection is not dependant on the body at the foot area. As an alternative perhaps just modify the store bought with some zip on pieces.

https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/produ...AaAlapEALw_wcB


Looks like buying one to modify would be the best route.


A few things to remember- if you don't know how to sew... rainfly and waterproof materials are the hardest to sew.
You can get most, if not all the materials if you're keeping it simple... but all the DAC hubs, parts, pieces that make up some of the shaped poles are generally custom pieces you can't get.
In that regard though- buying a clearance tent for parts and pieces is an option here.

As others mentioned- sewing is a hobby. I often found myself sewing stuff more than using stuff.

I missed the simplicity of a simple pole sleeve free standing dome tent, I have built a few of those but since then some commercial options are available with some compromises so I just grab one off the shelf.

If you can identify a cottage vendor who makes something close- you might be better off asking to pay them to customize one for you to finalize those last few tweaks.

Design compromises get made along the way to increase production, reduce cost, or plain old dumb something down for mass production. So there is occasionally an advantage to be had by doing it yourself, and a reward in that accomplishment. But generally I tell folks to only sew for those reasons. You don't save money, and you usually reduce the time you get to use the gear.

[Crossup]

Very aware of that and said so above. The good news is I'm a hardcore life long DIY guy so I have lots of related experience to draw on and from experience on other projects I think I'll have more trouble "freezing" a design than making what I design. Once you've made something the very process of making it tends to lead to seeing a better way to do it as well as improve the features.

From what I see at Quest Outfitters its appearing like a viable option to DIY your dream tent

Maybe by the 4th or 5th one, you'll have it all figured out and finally get what you want.

But it's not about saving money, it's about learning a new skill and making something for yourself.

[squeezebox]

After you do a DIY tent, consider doing a DIY car. I've heard it can be done.
Pissyness aside. It takes a lot of skill to be a good seamster. If you don't have years a sewing experience, don't try it. The mistakes you make will cost you way more in material than a production model.
IMHO

[Slo-go'en]

After you do a DIY tent, consider doing a DIY car. I've heard it can be done.

A friend of mine's son make his own truck. Of course, it was just a matter of taking bits and pieces off of junk trucks to make one good one, but he started with just the frame and ended up with a pretty nice truck. Not bad for a kid not yet quite out of high school. Sorry for the drift...

[MuddyWaters]

A friend of mine's son make his own truck. Of course, it was just a matter of taking bits and pieces off of junk trucks to make one good one, but he started with just the frame and ended up with a pretty nice truck. Not bad for a kid not yet quite out of high school. Sorry for the drift...

Where i came from, people liked to create unique vehicles by adapting sports car bodies to 4wd truck chassis. Sometimes never saw the needed bodywork, but a few were finished and really slick. Lifted 4wd corvette or trans am running 37" mudders, etc. Fun stuff.

I worked with 1 guy that built his own travel trailer from scratch. A guy near me built a 26' offshore boat, from scratch. Designed with software, 1-off mold, laid up hull, decks, etc. At his house . All to get boat he wanted. Im in total awe that some people tackle things like that. The person with the time, $, knowledge, and abilty to pull it off is rare.

When i flew r/c models, scale enthusiasts create extremely detailed models. Including working replica scale engines . How does one design, forge, cast , machine, and produce scale working replica of 9 cyl wright radial engine....that flies and performs...incredible.

A tent...piece of cake.

[Sandy of PA]

The constant figuring out better ways to build stuff is why I call my backpack "Rev. 7" and my cuben tent "Rev. 4" my quilt is "Rev. 6". DIY sewing is a hobby, it does not save money. I was a professional seamstress back in late 70's when clothes where still made in America.

[Crossup]

Wow, you've nearly described me by referencing the accomplishments below. Build a car?, look at my avatar- copy of the GTO concept car, 4 were built by Antem Motors, mine is homemade and while not completely scratch built, only the unibody, fuel tank and block are stock.
I've flying R/C for over 50 years, scratch built my own R/C multichannel gear, including 4 channel rx built under a microscope(18 components on a 1/4" sq PCB, 0.11grams). I do both ends of the spectrum- giant scale aerobatics and micro indoor planes.
I own a Seig lathe and mill and am finishing up a large format laser cutter(48"x36"). DAC fittings are as basic as machining gets, so no problem there.

I learned to many disciplines while growing up on my family's airport learning from my father how to be a aircraft mechanic. Spent the most of the last 27 years as a yacht technician(mechanic plus other disciplines) but did a 7 year stint as an MCSE computer geek. I built and coded the Hawaii theater of the best flight simulator of all time, Falcon 4.

Basically I've spent my life learning how to do pretty much anything I had an interest in, and as a pre-teen using my mothers sewing machine, I'm confident I can learn to be a passable seamstress. I attribute my success at nearly everything I've tried to do to having been fascinated at 7 yo with the iconcept of learning how to learn.

Tent? as you say, not that hard just really a question of how much time and effort I want to invest.

Where i came from, people liked to create unique vehicles by adapting sports car bodies to 4wd truck chassis. Sometimes never saw the needed bodywork, but a few were finished and really slick. Lifted 4wd corvette or trans am running 37" mudders, etc. Fun stuff.

I worked with 1 guy that built his own travel trailer from scratch. A guy near me built a 26' offshore boat, from scratch. Designed with software, 1-off mold, laid up hull, decks, etc. At his house . All to get boat he wanted. Im in total awe that some people tackle things like that. The person with the time, $, knowledge, and abilty to pull it off is rare.

When i flew r/c models, scale enthusiasts create extremely detailed models. Including working replica scale engines . How does one design, forge, cast , machine, and produce scale working replica of 9 cyl wright radial engine....that flies and performs...incredible.

A tent...piece of cake.

[saltysack]

Where i came from, people liked to create unique vehicles by adapting sports car bodies to 4wd truck chassis. Sometimes never saw the needed bodywork, but a few were finished and really slick. Lifted 4wd corvette or trans am running 37" mudders, etc. Fun stuff.

I worked with 1 guy that built his own travel trailer from scratch. A guy near me built a 26' offshore boat, from scratch. Designed with software, 1-off mold, laid up hull, decks, etc. At his house . All to get boat he wanted. Im in total awe that some people tackle things like that. The person with the time, $, knowledge, and abilty to pull it off is rare.

When i flew r/c models, scale enthusiasts create extremely detailed models. Including working replica scale engines . How does one design, forge, cast , machine, and produce scale working replica of 9 cyl wright radial engine....that flies and performs...incredible.

A tent...piece of cake.

Only in the south...Red neck ingenuity at its finest....



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Crossup]

You know this from experience?
I'm actually a little surprised someone of my generation would say this.
My experience with skills is that the most common situation is people say "I have 20 years experience" but what they should say is they have a year of experience they've been repeating for 20 years. I can't tell you how many times I've had "experts" turn out to be just plain wrong because no one explained a better way or what they were doing wrong(too few question "experts").
One thing I know for sure, the world would be a very different place if using a sewing machine required years of practice and learning.

After you do a DIY tent, consider doing a DIY car. I've heard it can be done.
Pissyness aside. It takes a lot of skill to be a good seamster. If you don't have years a sewing experience, don't try it. The mistakes you make will cost you way more in material than a production model.
IMHO

[Crossup]

This thread would indicate it is possible to make DIY gear including tents with no sewing experience and actually do it the first try:

https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthr...y-Backpack-Kit

[Ercoupe]

REI cost 146 dollars. You will not find anyone to make a similar tent for that. Easy enough to add to the fly bottom. I added to the bottom of a hubba fly, for the same reason.

Sewing is indeed a hobby. I've made pack covers, rain gear, a tarp tent and quilt. All functional, and for half the cost. But it takes a lot of time and patience. There are a lot of videos to help, but learning to use the machine takes time.

[cmoulder]

This thread would indicate it is possible to make DIY gear including tents with no sewing experience and actually do it the first try:

https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthr...y-Backpack-Kit

So just do it already.

[Crossup]

No doubt you mean some REI tent is $146...if you mean the Passage 2, 5lbs packed is over 2.5x heavier than I'd acccept and a huge step backwards from my BA Copper Spur UL3 at 4lbs.

Not trying to save money just not spend more than buying a finished tent. R/C ARFs(almost ready to fly) are a great example, most cost significantly less than the raw materials to build your own, so why spend hundreds of man hours building to loose money?
As mentioned above, I'm considering this only to have a tent with all the features I want

REI cost 146 dollars. You will not find anyone to make a similar tent for that. Easy enough to add to the fly bottom. I added to the bottom of a hubba fly, for the same reason.

Sewing is indeed a hobby. I've made pack covers, rain gear, a tarp tent and quilt. All functional, and for half the cost. But it takes a lot of time and patience. There are a lot of videos to help, but learning to use the machine takes time.